Riverworks Charm, Values Harken to Past and Future Alike

Back in 1840, around the time the brick and mortar building now housing The Riverworks Restaurant and Tavern was originally built, “local” wasn’t simply the best thing; it was – quite literally – the only thing. It was a simpler time, to be sure; an epoch many decades removed from things like “globalization, “outsourcing,” “environmentalism,” and myriad other buzzwords that have come to define much of our 21st century angst.

To say many things have changed since those halcyon days would be to flirt with cliché; the paths that connected the communities of Seacoast New Hampshire still remain – albeit in blacktop – but the connections, particularly with respect to commerce, seem perpetually dimming.

Not in this two-story icon, however. From millinery to grocery store, hardware shop to – starting 32 years ago – oft-frequented restaurant, The Riverworks has served as a popular meeting place, and a community linchpin for a town that in many ways epitomizes New England Americana.

When Jennifer Jarvis purchased the red brick 164 Main Street building in 2002, she knew she wanted to keep with the tavern's cozy ambiance and historical, local charm, all the while giving the food and service something of a makeover. The result is an expansive menu -- they have everything from salads to lobster macaroni and cheese to Asian fare -- with options for just about every palate.

In recent years, the restaurant has also taken on a number of green-minded initiatives, including composting and recycling programs – they even give away their spent cooking oil for use in biodiesel vehicles – and the installation of high efficiency lighting, motion sensors, and programmable thermostats.

Unlike many restaurants invested in green and local, Riverworks’ New Hampshire-first push hasn’t been undertaken at the expense of ambiance and history; seasoned wood lines floors, doors, and walls alike, while the lighting -- albeit bolstered by energy efficient CFLs – exudes the mood of a bygone era. The result is a template for other decades-old staples – which might not have otherwise considered such investments – to follow.

“One of the big draws when we bought the restaurant was that people really do feel comfortable here – it’s a very New England, rustic setting,” says Jarvis. “So our goal coming into it was how to clean up and green up the place, without sacrificing that feel that people love so much.”

Having a built-in fan base allowed Riverworks to hit the ground running. But it also reminded Jarvis that keeping those customers would mean not just serving them, but the community around them as well. Indeed, for Jarvis, assuring the steaks and salads are as local as possible, without doing everything in her power to bolster the people that make up that very local economy, would amount to little more than half-measures.

“The restaurant was always part of the community, but we thought it was important to give back to the community any way we could,” says Jarvis, whose charge recently became members of Green Alliance, the Portsmouth-based green business union. “We live here, we have kids in the school system here, so our investment goes beyond just owning and running the restaurant.”

Riverworks hosts regularly fundraisers and community events benefitting non-profits and community action groups from throughout the area, including the NHSPCA, the Red Cross, Newmarket Heritage Festival, the Special Olympics, Share our Strength, the Newmarket Veterans' Association, just to name a few. They regularly sponsor local sports teams, and have lent myriad helping hands to the classes of Newmarket High School.

Even on the slower weekday nights, it’s not uncommon for a local group or organization – Riverworks has a second story room where many of the meetings and fundraisers take place – to draw in the crowds.

Such is the power of a business equally in touch with its history, heritage, and human capital.

“It’s hard, because you want to be able to do everything and help everyone,” laments Jarvis, before quickly finding the statement’s silver lining. “But we’ve learned that, instead of giving a little to a lot of organizations that aren’t necessarily local, we can give even more to those that are – in Newmarket, Exeter, Durham, Stratham, throughout the Seacoast really. And I think that’s worked out well.”

Learn more about Riverworks at www.theriverworks.com
For more info on Green Alliance, visit www.greenalliance.biz